Wrench



T. KELLER- WRENCH Feb. 13, 1923. y '1,444,793

Filed Feb. 23, 1922 ffm/w15 AELL Eff.

Patented Feb. 13, i923.

Uit-lith@ STATES FTENF FFEQE.

WRENCH.

Application fried February es, i922. seriai No. l538,568.

To all whom t may concern.' f

Be it known that I, THOMAS Knmiuir, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of-Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWrenches; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, andexact description of the invention7 such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a wrench of well known form 'having a fixedand a movable jaw and in which the handle portion, which is usuallyintegral with the fixed jaw, extends at an acute angle to both theoperative faces of the jaws and to the line of movement of the movableaw. Such wrenches are provided with adjusting means for moving themovable jaw and there is usually some play or lost motion between themovable jaw and the fixed parts of the wrench.,

The movement or vibration of the movable j aw7 due to this lost'motion,Iresults in a change of position of said movable Thus, when the wrench ispicked up and laid down several times by a workman the movable jaw willhave made an appreciable movement and will have to be re-adjusted.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide such a wrenchwith simple and efficient means for preventing the play or movement ofthe movable jaw except when caused by the adjusting means.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide themovable jaw at its inner end with a yielding and slidable device tendingto hold it firmly in position.

rlhese and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. l is a view showing the Operative parts of the wrench in centrallongitudinal section and showing the handle in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the. wrench, as seen from theleft of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l, shown onan enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, a well known and much used type of wrench isillustrated comprising a handle member l having integral therewith ahead portion 2, which head portion comprises a fixed jaw 3. rlhev headportion 2 hasv formed therein a transversely extending channel t whichis semicylindrical in shape and has extending from its upper poi'tionjaslot having parallel side walls. A movable jaw 6 is provided and has itsinner or lower portion formed to fit the semi-cylindrical channel 4l andalso formed with a contracted narrow portion moving in the slot 5. Thesides of the aw members are usually rounded, as shown, and the slot 5 isextended to form an undercut portion of the fixed jaw 3 into whichprojects an exten-ded part A7. of themovable j aw 6. The bottom or innerportion of the movable aw Gis provided with rack teeth which are adaptedto be engaged by the threads of. a cylindrical threaded member 8disposed in a recess formed in the head 2 and ournaled on a pin -9threaded into the. head at its inner end and provided with a slot at itsouter end'by which it may be removed, this pin occupying a recess formedin the head 2.

With the construction described, the jaw 6 tends to fulcrum about thescrew 8 and have a slight play in the head 2. To prevent this, the innerpart of the jaw )6 is provided on its surface adjacent the bottom of thechan-nel 4 with a. small cylindrical recess in which are .disposed racompression spring l0 and a4 ball 11. The latter is pressed out againstthe bottom of channel 4L and the spring 10 thus acts to keep the innerpart of the movable jaw 6 pressed upwardly in contact with the top o-fthe channel 4. When the movable jaw 6 is adjusted by the screw 8 theball moves along the bottom of the shell 4; with substantially nofriction.

lW ith the described structure, as previously stated, the jaw 6 willremain firmly in its adjusted position. wrench will thus not result invibration and movement of said jaw so as to cause repeated adjustmentsthereof. The spring 10 and ball ll act in the manner described to keepthe outer portion of the jaw 6 in its farthest position from jaw 3. Thewrench is thus always held with its jaws `in the wide open position towhich they have been adjusted. This is a desirable result of theelimination of the loose movement of the movable aw.

si `V 1,444,793

It is thus seen that applicant has provided a very simple and efficientimprovement on this type or' wrench and one that will add greatly to theutility thereof. rFhe applicant has had much experience with t-his typeof wrench and the present improvef ment has been found to have greatutility and eiiiciency in actual practice.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made intheform, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing fromthe scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists inthe matter shown and kdescribed and set forth in the appended claims.

7l/iat is claimed is:

l. A wrench having a handle portion and a head portion rigidl therewithcomprising;- a fixed aw, the operative face oi' which makes an acuteangle with the longitudinal axis of said handle portion, said headportion having a channel formed therein extending substantially normalto the Jrace ot the fixed aw, a movable aw having a, portion shaped toSubstantially tit said channel to slide therein, said movable jawhavinga recess formed in its 'inner portion in the surface adjacent thebottom oit said channel, a spring` pressed ball in said recess adaptedto bear on the bottom oi saidchannel and hold the inner part of saidmovable aw pressed outwardly against the top of said recess to preventvibration of Said movable jaw, and mea-ns for adjusting said movablejaw.

2. A wrench comprising' a handle havingl a head portion atene endcarrying a lixed jaw thereon, said jaw having a lface extending at anacute angle to the center line or' said handle, thechannel in said headextending normal to said xed jaw, a movable jaw having` a portionfitting in and movable in said channeland having rack teeth on its innerside, a spring-pressed ball in said movable `iaw engaging the bottom ofsaid channel, and means in said head portion engaging said threads totra-verse the movable jaw.

3. rThe structure set forth in claim l, said channel having a narrowextension at its outer side having parallel walls, said extensionprojecting under said fixed to form an undercut recess therein, and saidmovable jaw having its inner side projecting into said undercut recess.

4i. The combination with a wrench having a iixed and movable jaw with ahandle extendingi'rom rthe ixed'jaw, said movable aw having teeth movingadjacent a sui-tace in said fixed jaw, said .fixed jaw having a portionabove said surface against which the movable jaw may engage, meansengaging said tee-th to move said jaw, said movable jaw having a recessadjacentthe inner end of the portion moving` adjacent said surface, anda spring pressed member in said recess engaging and moving on saidsurface to holdv the kmovable jaw against lost motion and creeping.

5. A wrench comprising a handle portion witha head portion and a fixedouter jaw rigid therewith, said head having a groove therein extendingsubstantially nor-` mal to .the face of said fixed i,aw, and a movablejaw slidable in said groove, teeth on said movable jaw adjacent thebottom of said groove, means in said head engaging said teeth, saidlastmentioned jaw having a recess therein, and afspring pressed memberdisposed in said recess adjacent the inner side of the j aw to engagethe bottom oil said groove and to hold said movable jaw in position toprevent lost motion and'creeping thereof.

In testimony whereof l ai'iix in signature.

THOMAS ELLER.

